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April 29, 2011

I write this blog with a broken heart. Yet all of us have survived heartbreak, and so will I. Not unlike parts of the USA, the Amazon region of Peru is experiencing unprecedented flooding. Water levels continue to rise as I watch the rain with dismay. Our dog shelter has flooded. These photos were taken at the start of the inundation. We have moved many dogs to higher ground, many to the clinic, and others are suffering as they are forced to share a small patch of dry ground (lumber stacked into a pile) in one shelter area.

At the same time that we endure physical flooding, we are experiencing an unprecedented influx of helpless, abandoned kittens and puppies. Please visit our Sponsorship page on ChipIn and choose a needy pet to sponsor. For $50 you can even name the animal (unless the animal already has a name). Every day I will post more photos. Please don't abandon us or these helpless babies.

The month of April was very intense and full of expectations for members of the non-profit organization CARES (Community Animal Rescue Education and Health). On the 8th of this month they signed an inter-institutional agreement with the district municipality of Punchana, thus giving a formal framework for the actions of Amazon CARES within the jurisdiction of Punchana.

The first step has been the involvement of the Amazon CARES activity "the City and the Village Doctor" in which they gave out anti-parasite tablets for human consumption and provided free veterinary service to pets. Taking advantage of their presence in Nuevo Versalles, Amazon CARES publicized the start date of the campaign and requested that all members of this disadvantaged area cooperate in an urban wildlife census.

The environmental health campaign in Nuevo Versalles officially started on April 11. Amazon CARES professionals were supported by by six veterinarians and technicians from the U.S. and England that came just for this occasion.

Tomorrow marks the start of another challenging and exciting week. Chance brought me to the Amazon many years ago. I lived here for four years, and now live here part-time. This week I returned again to the deeper jungle, but with time to relax, as we have added in special Eco-tourism days for our talented volunteers.

Volunteering to save animals on another continent is a once in a lifetime experience. Yet, I realized our volunteers may never return to this unique part of the world and deserved more. Thanks to Explorama Lodges we are providing a special gift of adventures and exo-tourism to our volunteers, which they are busy blogging about, and about which experiences you can read at http://www.amazoncares.org/vetsabroad.

Our first jungle evening, April 15, 2011, was pure magic for me. I experienced the awe, wonder, and mystique of the jungle as if for the very first time. Our group took an excursion by canoe to experience the change which comes over the rainforest as darkness falls. A cacophony of sounds collide as nocturnal animals come alive, searcing for prey, watching in silence, or sending out a mating call. Amphibians, birds, insects, and mammals contribute to this jungle symphony. A memory came to me...that of my first time amidst these extradordinary creatures and their nightime activities and normal noisiness. I recall being overwhelmed and feeling a synapse in my brain explode with the realization that I could sense the connection between these animals and these sounds with native tribal music. Oddly, it made me appreciate symphonic music more.

The Southern Cross, Stock Photo

Our guide paddled softly through a narrow corridor of tall trees. We used flashlights in an attempt to spot golden eyes twinkling at us, though these noisy creatures undoubtedly turned away from our invading canoe. I soon stopped seeking out the animals, and slipped into the dream that existed in that moment. Shadowy trees, a full moon, an orchestra made up of animals and insects instead of woodwinds and strings, and the Southern Cross.

As I made out the four stars comprising the Southern Cross, visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, I understood again, and, for the first time, why I came this way.

Thank you to the sponsors and partners in this journey. Our June trip is now full, and we are seeking sponsors for this trip as well. Please contact molly (a) amazoncares.org for more information

April 11, 2011

Amazon CARES and i LOVE DOGS, INC. are delighted announce a new collaboration that will benefit animals in one of the most remote areas of the world. The Torrance, Calif.-based dog vitamin & supplement manufacturer i Love Dogs, Inc. is donating a large amount of its famous i Love Dogs supplements, including Multivitamins, Green Tea, Glucosamine and Chondroitin, and Reishi. All of these products contain decaffeinated green tea and reishi mushroom, which provide the antioxidant and immune system support so vital to dogs in high-risk health situations.

“Malnourishment is a very serious issue with stray and owned dogs in the Amazon region, so we are eager to see the results of adding supplements to their diets," stated CARES’ Founder and Director, Molly Mednikow.
“We are excited to provide them to our shelter dogs as well!”

i LOVE DOGS, INC. dedicates itself to formulating the highest quality natural vitamins and supplements available on the market today. Its name says it all — i Love Dogs is committed to the health of canine companions and the peace of mind quality products bring to their pet parents. Priding itself on being leaders in animal wellness and welfare, its products seamlessly blend natural ingredients with cutting-edge technology and science. For the more well-heeled (ahem) canine connoisseur, i Love Dogs also designs the world's most exclusive diamond dog collars. For more information about i Love Dogs, please visitwww.ilovedogs.com.

April 10, 2011

June Allison is a Veterinary Nurse from Scotland. She has been living in Australia for the last six years. She arrived yesterday evening on April 9. I picked her up at the Iquitos airport as dusk was setting in. Since our lodging is hard to reach due to bad roads (supplemented by heavy rains) and lack of electricity and streetlights, getting home was a bit of an adventure. We walked part of the way with flashlights.

Meet Luke Marriott! He and his girlfriend Katherine Mock were the first two volunteers to arrive. This is a short hello from Luke. Aside from the video content, he wanted to convey that the three day boat ride betweenYurimaguas, Peru and Iquitos, Peru really gave him a snse of jus how isolated Iquitos is. "It is really located in the middle of the jungle" he stated.

The lighting is dark as we were at our jungle lodging at the time of filming.

April 2, 2011

We are delighted to announce that i Love Dogs, Inc. will be sponsoring the vets on our April spay and neuter trip in Peru, contributing more than $1,000, making the company a Platinum Sponsor of Amazon CARES.

“Amazon CARES is dependent on donations from individuals and companies. These funds go very far in an underdeveloped nation like Peru. I am jumping for joy at the generosity of i Love Dogs, Inc.,” gushes Molly Mednikow, CARES’ Founder and Director.

This partnership has resulted in a new level of sponsorship for Amazon CARES. i Love Dogs, Inc. is the first individual trip sponsor for a Vets Abroad adventure. “Their banners will be flying from our clinic, our boat, and the jungle towns we serve during our April 10-24, 2011 trip,” says Mednikow.

Martha Smith of i Love Dogs, Inc.

Martha Smith, General Manager of i Love Dogs, Inc., is equally enthusiastic: “We truly believe in Amazon CARES’ mission to help needy companion animals desperate for medical care, especially since promoting the health and happiness of dogs is our company’s primary purpose. As such, we are thrilled to be able to help defray the cost of equipment, supplies and other essential items for the Amazon CARES trip to Peru through our sponsorship.”

CARES is not the only charitable concern that has benefited from the philanthropy of i Love Dogs, Inc. Operation Baghdad Pups, an SPCA International initiative aiding soldiers overseas to bring home dogs they've adopted while serving, Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a Los Angeles no-kill animal shelter and welfare charity, and Pets Without Parents, an Ohio no-kill animal shelter, are but a few of the dozens of non-profit organizations i Love Dogs, Inc. has aided.

In addition to the sponsor partnership, CARES and i Love Dogs, Inc. are joining forces to bring meaningful, timely and exciting social media content to their many subscribers. Smith states, “We are looking forward to helping Amazon CARES volunteer veterinarians spread the word about their mission to Peru via contemporaneous postings on social media.” People are encouraged to follow the adventures of Amazon CARES and their veterinary volunteers through updates provided by both organizations.